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VO2 Max: What Is VO2 Max? | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What is VO2 Max and How Does It Work?

Definition of VO2 Max

VO₂ Max is the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise.  

Vo2 max is considered the standard indicator of cardiovascular or cardiorespiratory endurance and fitness.  Vo2 Max determines a person or athlete’s ability to perform prolonged aerobic activity.  VO2 Max is also known as known as maximal oxygen uptake, aerobic capacity, or maximal oxygen consumption.

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Is Cardio Better Before or After Lifting Weights? | Ask The Fitness Nerd

When Is the Best Time To Perform Cardio: Before or After Lifting Weights? Or Does It Even Matter?

Dear Fitness Nerd,

Is it better to do cardio before or after you lift weights? I’ve been following your full body workout routine and love it, but I’d also like to slip in some cardio on top of the weight training. What are your thoughts? Should I lift weights before I do cardio? I’ve searched online and seem to get mixed opinions which is better. Any help would be appreciated. –  Andrew (Chapel Hill, NC)

Andrew, I get this question quite a bit. In fact, it’s probably one of the most frequently asked questions in the comments area on the Answer Fitness full body workout routine.

Whether it’s better to perform your cardio before or after lifting weights really depends on your current conditioning, stamina — and to a certain extent — your mindset. There are also some physiological  and scientific reasons you might preference weight lifting over cardio earlier in your workout — but even here you’ll find some disagreement among trainers, exercise physiologists and even bodybuilders.

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5 Components of Physical Fitness | Fitness Tips & Guides

What Is Physical Fitness? Understanding the Five Basic Components of Physical Fitness Can Be The Difference Between Fitness Success & Failure.

What does it mean to be “physically fit?”

Ask a dozen people to describe to you a person who typifies the concept of “physical fitness” and you will likely get 12 different answers.

Many people will probably mention Olympic athletes as paragons of physical fitness — people like swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps or U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson. Others might point to professional athletes like NBA forward LeBron James or legendary NFL running back Herschel Walker. Other people might say that fashion models, certain actresses or actors, bodybuilders or even professional wrestlers represent “physical fitness.”

So clearly, physical fitness is in the eye of the beholder.

Or is it?

Can You Look “In-Shape” But Not Be Physically Fit?

While excelling at some type of athletic activity — whether you are a professional or amateur — requires a certain level of physical fitness, it doesn’t guarantee that they are physically fit. 

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What Does Muscular Strength Mean? | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What Is Muscular Strength and How Is It Measured?

Definition of Muscular Strength

Muscular strength is defined as the maximum amount of force that a muscle can exert against some form of resistance in a single effort. 

This is in contrast to muscular endurance, which represents multiple muscle contractions or a sustained muscle contraction over a period of time, for example during running, climbing or performing multiple reps with a dumbbell at the gym.

Practically speaking, you use muscular strength when you lift yourself out of a chair, pick up a heavy object, or push a piece of furniture. In the gym, a single repetition at a given weight is an example of muscular strength.

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Cardiovascular Endurance Definition | Fitness, Exercise & Health Glossary

What’s the Definition of Cardiovascular Endurance?

Definition of Cardiovascular Endurance

Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to deliver oxygen to working muscles and tissues, as well as the ability of those muscles and tissues to utilize that oxygen.

Cardiovascular endurance is also frequently called cardio-respiratory endurance, cardiovascular fitness, aerobic capacity, aerobic fitness or is sometimes more broadly termed “endurance” — although endurance may also refer to the ability of the muscle to do repeated work without fatigue. It is also one of the five components of physical fitness.

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